The Phoenix Coyotes ownership soap opera now begins a new phase regarding possible new bids to keep the team in Arizona as well as the increased odds of a sale and relocation. There also are differing takes about what really happened to Greg Jamison’s unsuccessful bid and whether he could still be in the ownership hunt.

A local executive familiar with Jamison’s ownership effort said the bid had more than three-quarters of the money to meet the NHL’s asking price of $170 million to $175 million. That official was told the NHL would not come off of that price and the negotiations went right up until the city’s Jan. 31 drop-dead date. The league has owned the team since buying the Coyotes out of Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2009 for $140 million.

NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said those assertions on the Coyotes situation are not true.

“If that’s what you are hearing, it is very far from the truth,” said Daly in an e-mail to me. “All I am prepared to say is that the League’s parameters for sale were not the reason that this transaction was not closed by January 31.”

Jamison continues to work on his bid, but there are questions to how he can close a deal now with Glendale’s $308 million arena deal off the table.

There are also officials in Glendale and around the team who say Jamison may have had the money (or almost all the money) to buy the team but some of his financial partners wanted more power and control and that unraveled a final sale.

Different deals?

Glendale spokeswoman Julie Frisoni said the city is considering its Coyotes and Jobing.com Arena options in the post Jan. 31-world.

That can include talking to other potential Coyotes bidders — and more curious tire kickers — and issuing a requests for proposals on possible arena management, bookings and uses. That RFP could look at whether hockey stays in the West Valley as well as the arena’s future if they Coyotes end up being sold and moved.

Frisoni termed the city’s approach as a dual tract.

The challenge for any new bids — and a less likely renewed Jamison effort — is that new Glendale Mayor Jerry Weiers and the new Glendale City Council are not likely to offer the same $300 million arena deal again to help subsidize a sale.

Glendale may also feel pressure to come off of its 20-year lease requirement and give a new owner the ability to sell and move the team after five or seven years. That could improve the value of the team, keep them here at least for a while and help secure financing for a sale.

The city wants a long-term deal and also has to work out financial arrangements with the NHL regarding arena management payments.

The Coyotes have done well on the ice since filing for Chapter 11 in 2009, but the team ranks last in NHL attendance, loses $20 million or more annually and Forbes estimates the team’s worth at $134 million. That ranks 29th among the NHL’s 30 teams.

Several years ago Canadian billionaire Jim Balsillie was ready to pay $242.5 million to buy the Coyotes and move them to Hamilton, Ontario.

New bidders?

The NHL and Glendale say they are talking to Coyotes ownership bidders that would keep the team in the Phoenix market.

Jamison tells partners and others helping him that his effort is not dead. A challenge for Jamison is that the former San Jose Sharks CEO had to rely on investors and financing to get deal done, and that resulted in money coming in and out of the deal and power struggles over management and decision-making.

Fox Sports Arizona has identified Bill Gallacher, a Calgary oil executive, as a potential Coyotes bidder and could be working with others on a bid. Gallacher is the owner of Western Hockey League Portland Winterhawks.

There are reports in Oregon that a purchase could move the Coyotes to Portland and share the Rose Garden Arena with the National Basketball Association’s Trail Blazers. The NBA team and arena are owned by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen.

Gallacher has previously pursued NHL franchises such as the New Jersey Devils and Dallas Stars.

There could also be renewed interest from past Coyotes suitors — Ice Edge Holdings LLC, Matthew Hulsizer and a group led by Phoenix attorney John Kaites and Chicago Bulls and White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf.

Kaites declined comment on the Coyotes situation.

There are also potential Coyotes bids from Quebec City, Seattle, suburban Toronto and Kansas City that could get into the Coyotes sales mix if they are not already.